A facile route to self-assembled Hg//MoSI nanowire networks

Nanotechnology crucially depends on new molecular-scale materials with tunable properties. In molecular electronics, building blocks have been reduced to single molecules, while connectors have largely remained at the mesoscopic scale. As a result, the behaviour of such devices is largely governed by interface effects and hence, currently, attention is focused on finding suitable molecular-scale alternatives. In this paper we discuss a new generation of one-dimensional inorganic nanostructures aimed at to replacing the mesoscopic connectors currently used in the electronics industry. We demonstrate how chemical functionalisation of nanowires consisting of molybdenum, sulphur and iodine in conjunction with very low concentrations of molecular mercury leads to one-dimensional systems which can be easily connected opening up new pathways to controlled deposition and interface formation.